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Word

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A unit of language, often with creative and divine power, as in the Logos of John's Gospel or the sacred sound Om.

Detailed Definition
The "Word" (Logos) in John 1 is God's creative self-expression, through which all things were made. In Hinduism, the Vedas are the eternal "Shabda-Brahman" (Sound-God). In poetry, the word is sacred. It is not merely a sign but a vessel of power and presence. The poet's task is to find the right words to capture a glimpse of the divine Logos. This concept elevates poetry to a participatory act in creation, a striving to echo the primordial, creative Word of God.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Christian poetry, Word (Logos) creates: “In the beginning—Word, and Word was God”; In Islamic verse, Word is Quran: “Revealed speech—Word that guides and heals”; In Jewish poetry, Word is covenant: “Ten Words—Word carved in stone and heart”; Contemporary poets treat Word as power: “Poem written—Word that cracks open silence.”
Additional Notes
The Word (Logos in John 1, Shabda in Hinduism, Kalam in Islam) is creative, revelatory, and divine—“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made” (Psalm 33:6); in Sanskrit tradition, Om is the primordial sound; poets revere language as sacred medium, exploring how utterance shapes reality, and how silence between words may hold even deeper truth.
Also Known As
Logos Dabar Verbum
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